Prince of the night

Two

Chapter Two: The Awakening**

Sunlight streamed into the elegant room from the large windows of the mansion, and Jessica, basking in its warmth, felt it to the very edge of her being while she lay in its clasp, dreaming of things that could never be. She awoke from limbless slumber, unclosed her eyes, and found that, by some sorcery, she was supposed somehow to be lying on a bed of clouds: all things strange to her since the hour of her birth.

For a moment, she thought she was still dreaming. Her memories of the past day seemed very far off, like a tale read rather than experienced. But the warmth of the blankets and the soft silk against her skin, with the faint smell of pine and earth, told her it was so. She was no longer in her father's house; she was free.

Jess bounded up, sat, and looked around with her heart in her mouth. It was a large room with high ceilings, and even the furniture was grandeur-speak reek of money and power. Her gaze locked on the half-opened door, and her heart suddenly skipped in the abrupt recollection of her savior.

Lucian.

His name resonated in her head, provoking some bizarre kind of comfort. It brought the words "mate, sworn to protect" and whisking away from this life of misery that she got so used to over so long. What had he meant, and why had he picked her, anyway?

Before she could put all her concern into the questions, the door groaned open, and Lucian entered. He was even more remarkable by the light of day—his golden eyes radiated friendliness in his smile toward her. "Good morning, Jessica," he said, his deep, calming voice buoying up. "How are you feeling?"

A beat, her heart skipped, at the sight of him. She hadn't been used to anybody's kindness, let alone his. "I-I'm fine," she replied, her voice barely over a whisper. "Thank you.for everything.".

Lucian crossed the room to the bed and sat beside her. Alone, his presence hurled elan and sufficed for comfort. "You needn't thank," he spoke gently. "You deserve so much more than what you were given. I'm just glad I found you in time.".

Jessica looked down, not able to view him. Now she was embarrassed, flailing in the tidal wave of feelings that had the salient quality of newness about them. But there was one thing she just had to notice. "Why me?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Why would someone like you care about someone like me?"

They crashed together: Lucian's body a liquid, sleek motion that spoke of unbelievable speed—but it was Jessica he reached for. And the moment he touched her, laid his fingers on either side of her face, he knew—gods of any past, present, and future, he knew. "Because you are my mate," he told her, his voice hard, his eyes pinning hers. 'You're the one I've been searching for, the one meant to stand beside me. This is not about caring, Jessica. It's about a bond, a joining of two that goes beyond anything you can.

His words seemed to stir something deep inside her, something buried beneath years of agony and fear. It was a bond—it had to be, some thread that wove their souls and frightened her, but soothed her at the same time. She was trying to swallow back the tears welling behind her eyes. "But I'm so… broken," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "How am I supposed to be anything to you?

Lucian's expression softened, and he finally pulled her, taut, into his arms. "You are not broken, Jessica," he whispered into her hair. "You're a strong woman, and you just don't realize it yet. But that's why I'm here: to show you how strong you are and help you realize it. Together, we'll scour the brand of their dealings from you. Never again will you have to stand alone against whatever life throws at you.".

For the first time, Jessica allowed herself to believe him. Tears seeped into his shirt from her face, and she allowed herself to hold him, and the burden of all the yesterdays to slowly lift away. His arms made her feel safe, and for the first time in a long, long while, she felt protected. Hope filled her for the first time in anyone's memory.

A moment later, Lucian drew back, brushing away her tears lightly with feathers. The touch pang through her chest. "There is something that must be shown to you," he said in a low voice, a bit excited. "A part of you that has been kept a secret for too long—it is time to wake it up now.".

Jessica screwed up her face in confusion but obliged, nodding silently as he helped her out of the bed. Further into the big halls he led her, and with every step she took, anxiety and anticipation grew in her. He finally stopped her at the entrance to the huge door that Lucian pushed ajar to show a sun-splashed garden.

It opened up in the very center of the garden to show a stone altar surrounded by blooming flowers and great ancient trees. The force in the air was close to physical, and it made Jessica's skin tingle. Lucian led her up to the top of the altar and then turned so that he could face her, a notably serious expression on his face.

"It's this place of awakening," he told her. "It is the place where your real power finds itself. But you must trust me, Jessica. Trust in the bond we share."

Jessica stood before the altar, her heart racing. She couldn't be anything but a weak, timid girl—that was what the family had taught her all through her life. And here she now was, with Lucian, when the power inside her was straining at the seams.

"Now, close your eyes," intoned Lucian calmly, "and feel the energy around you. Let it in.".

Jessica closed her eyes as he asked and concentrated with all her could on the strange power that seemed to pulsate in the area all around her. It were warm, similar to the feeling of a gentle wind, and opening her very self to it, she could feel it seeping into her skin to fill her with strength that was previously unknown.

Then, in a sharp burst of newfound energy, she took a gasp, and her eyes popped open in shock. The world around her suddenly was budding to life: colors were brighter, sounds a little clearer. She was powerful, invincible—nothing seemed to be able to hurt her again on this earth.

Lucian smiled, his golden eyes glinting with pride. "Yes, Jessica," he whispered, "you are beginning to awaken. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can accomplish."

Jessica looked down at her hands, which were trembling because of the new powers she had put into them. Now she felt it: the strength and courage that would be available to her for long, once she had been deemed a sorceress worthy of respect and fear. And now, for the first time in her life, she really felt alive.

"This is who you're supposed to be," he a hand on her shoulder. "You're not the weak girl they made you think you were. You're strong, Jessica, and with me, you'll be unbeatable."

Enough to re-ignite that very flame which had been smothered for ages now right inside Jessica's heart. She would not be that weak, quivering girl; she would be of strength and courage, and no one would ever make her cry again.

Lucian would teach her how to be herself and how to handle her powers with Lucian. Together they would crush anything that dared stand in their way.

A smile had begun spreading already on Jessica's face, and her eyes seemed to light up a shade brighter all at once. "I'm ready," she told him, the words clear. "Now we'll show them who I really am.".